Tag Archives: Crimestoppers

Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers and partner E.ON have reaffirmed their commitment to raising awareness of energy-related offences after a wave of information was received from the public following recent efforts by the two organisations.

Activity carried out by the charity and energy firm sought to raise the profile of incidents such as energy theft and meter tampering. Both Crimestoppers and E.ON reached out to colleagues, customers and the general public to educate them on the dangers and consequences of these offences.

A ‘Spot The Signs’ leaflet (see graphic, below) was produced to give staff and customers an idea of what they should look out for when checking whether their meter had been tampered with, ensuring they’re receiving their energy safely and without risking some serious consequences.

Spot The Signs: how to recognise meter tampering

As a result, in 2014 an average of 109 pieces of information per month have been passed to the charity from the public in relation to gas and/or electric meter tampering. While this may not be perceived as a serious offence by some, the consequences can be devastating if the tampered meter were to malfunction and cause a fire or an explosion.

Agreement extended for a further 12 months

Following the positive response of this recent work and the information passed to the charity, Crimestoppers and E.ON (who began working together in 2009) have extended their agreement for another year to continue raising awareness of energy-related offences and cement their commitment to bringing those responsible for these incidents to justice.

Rodger Holden, director of development for Crimestoppers, said: “The continuation of this partnership between Crimestoppers and E.ON is paramount to raising awareness of energy-related crime and for appealing to the public to help catch those responsible.”

Holden also stated: “The partnership also highlights the trust large-scale companies have in Crimestoppers. Our anonymous system for reporting crime is unique. Businesses affected by crime recognise that working with us can achieve results. We look forward to future success with E.ON as we carry out more work moving forward.”

Barrie Millett MSyI of E.ON

Barrie Millett MSyI (acting director of safety, health and environment at E.ON UK) commented: “Our partnership with Crimestoppers, which is now running for the fifth consecutive year, reaffirms our commitment to raising awareness of energy-related offences. Most importantly, we hope to highlight the dangers and risks of these offences, helping our customers and colleagues identify and report incidents either by contacting E.ON directly or Crimestoppers on an anonymous basis.”

Independent charity Crimestoppers and the Security Industry Authority have cemented their commitment to protecting the public by renewing their partnership again this year.

The two organisations, who joined forces in 2006, have conducted operations alongside the police in areas including Northern Ireland, Bristol and Birmingham to ensure security operatives are correctly SIA licensed.

These Crimestoppers-supported operations were also used to raise awareness of SIA licensing requirements while appealing to the public for information on those breaking the law.

Previous successes include receiving quality intelligence to tackle serious and organised crime, detection of unlicensed activity, breaches of SIA licensing conditions and the arrest of individuals for other offences.

Extension to the existing partnership

As a result of these successes, the two organisations have renewed their partnership for a further year, in turn ensuring that those enjoying the night-time economy will be greeted by door staff they can trust and who have been properly vetted and trained to perform their role.

Since the start of 2014, Crimestoppers has received an average of 54 anonymously submitted pieces of information per month about those committing licensing offences, not only in relation to door supervisors but also in relation to guarding and all other parts of the regulated sector. This information is passed across to the SIA to assist with their investigations and can lead to further action.

Dave Humphries: director of partnerships and interventions at the SIA

At present there are 382,377 licenses held by 339,940 people. Of those, over half are held by door supervisors.

In 2013, the SIA was successful in 17 prosecutions and issued 337 written warnings and 59 improvement notices. In the last six years the SIA has revoked 33,945 licences and refused a further 22,722.

Incredibly positive working partnership

Rodger Holden, director of development for Crimestoppers, said: “This has been an incredibly positive partnership between two organisations whose primary goal is to keep communities safe and clamp down on law breakers. As an organisation, we work closely with a number of partners to tackle various crimes, and our work with the SIA is paramount to tackle those in breach of the law.”

Dave Humphries, director of partnerships and interventions at the SIA, added: “The SIA is committed to tackling all forms of crime associated with the private security industry, including serious and organised crime. With the help of partners such as Crimestoppers, we will work collaboratively to drive these rogue elements from the industry and keep members of the public safe.”